Mechanisms for coupling a quenching car to a hood car and for braking the hood car are known. One such mechanism is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,981,778. As disclosed in that patent, the quenching car and the hood car are mounted for movement parallel to the battery of coke ovens with the hood car riding on a pair of rails and with the quench car riding below the hood car on another pair of rails.
It would be desirable to provide an improved mechanism for coupling the quenching car to the hood car and it would be desirable for such an improved coupling mechanism to interact with a braking system for braking the hood car whenever the hood car is uncoupled from the quenching car and for releasing the braking of the hood car whenever the hood car is coupled to the quenching car.
Further, it would be desirable to provide such a coupling mechanism that would accommodate coupling of the quenching car to the hood car even though the quenching car and the hood car may not be precisely aligned.
In addition, it would be desirable for such a coupling apparatus to reduce the shock loading reaction forces on the quenching car and hood car resulting from the starting and stopping movements of the cars.